Miffed at the overt "minority appeasement" by the Samajwadi Party state government, many BJP leaders feel that a development-led pro-Hindu branding of Modi could reap rich dividends in Uttar Pradesh.
Vijay Bahadur Pathak, the state spokesman for the BJP, is more forthright.
He says Modi was a national leader even when he went to Gujarat more than a decade back.
"He has now proved his mettle by winning the state thrice for BJP. It is natural that party workers across the country are now pitching for hima."
